The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. The Purple Heart is specifically a combat decoration.

Wednesday, 7 August 1782. George Washington, the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, sat at his desk in what had once been the Hasbrouck family kitchen. The intense summer heat was relieved only by the gentle breeze from the Hudson River about 400 yards away. This grey dressed stone and rubble Dutch vernacular style house had served as Washingtons headquarters since 31 March when he had returned north to the strategic Hudson Highlands after his victory at Yorktown.

"By 7 August 1782, hostilities had ended and peace talks were under way in Paris. That day, George Washingtons thoughts were with his men camped nearby at New Windsor. They had suffered appalling privations for over six years. His officers were on the verge of mutiny because of lack of pay, rations and supplies withheld by a corrupt and negligent Congress."

"Worse, Congress had taken away the authority of his general officers to recognize their soldiers courage and leadership by awarding commissions in the field. Congress simply could not afford to pay their existing officers let alone any new ones. As a result, faithful service and outstanding acts of bravery went unrecognized and unrewarded. George Washington was determined to end that."

"The General, ever desirous to cherish a virtuous ambition in his soldiers, as well as to foster and encourage every species of military merit, directs that whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings, over his left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth, or silk, edged with narrow lace or binding."

"Not only instances of unusual gallantry, but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way shall meet with a due reward .The road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is thus opened to all. Thus, George Washington established the Badge of Merit. In its shape and color, the Badge anticipated and inspired the modern Purple Heart. In the exceptional level of courage required to be considered for the Badge, however, it was the forerunner of the Medal of Honor.

On January 7, 1931, General Douglas MacArthur, confidentially reopened work on a new design for the medal, involving the Washington Commission of Fine Arts. This new design was issued on the bicentennial of George Washington's birth. Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the Quartermaster General, was named to redesign the newly revived medal, which became known as the Purple Heart. Using general specifications provided to her, Will created the design sketch for the present medal of the Purple Heart.

The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917, has been wounded or killed.

Specific examples of services which warrant the Purple Heart include any action against an enemy of the United States; any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged; while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party; as a result of an act of any such enemy of opposing armed forces; or as the result of an act of any hostile foreign force.

The Purple Heart award is a heart-shaped medal within a gold border, 1 ⅜ inches wide, containing a profile of General George Washington. Above the heart appears a shield of the coat of arms of George Washington (a white shield with two red bars and three red stars in chief) between sprays of green leaves.

The reverse consists of a raised bronze heart with the words FOR MILITARY MERIT below the coat of arms and leaves. The ribbon is 1 and ⅜ inches wide and consists of the following stripes: ⅛ inch white 67101; 1 ⅛ inches purple 67115; and ⅛ inch white 67101.

In August 2011, NASA released a composite image from the Hubble telescope that left people smiling. The image is of two galaxies beginning to collide. The collision looks like a heavenly exclamation point (!). The latest statistic Ive read says there are about 100 billion observable galaxies in the universe. Each galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars, and more galaxies are being discovered.

When I saw the exclamation-point image on CNN, I was reminded of our awesome Creator. The heavens exclaim His glory (Ps. 19:1), but He is even greater than the heavens He has made. After Solomon built a temple for the Lords presence to dwell in, he prayed: But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! (1 Kings 8:27). He knew that if the heavens couldnt contain Gods presence, the temple he had made surely couldnt contain Him.

The Lord is so much greater than our finite minds can grasp. Yet He has made it possible for us to know Him through His Son Jesus whom He sent to live on this earth, to die for us, and to be raised. When we believe in Him, our lives join the heavens in proclaiming His glory!

Sing praise to God who reigns above,The God of all creation,The God of power, the God of love,The God of our salvation. Schutz

To every service man or woman reading this thread.Thank You for your service to our country.No matter where you are stationed, No matter what your job descriptionKnow that we are are proud of each and everyone of you.To our military readers, we remain steadfast in keeping the Canteen doors open.

The FR Canteen is Free Republic's longest running daily thread specifically designed to provide entertainment and moral support for the military.The doors have been open since Oct 7 2001, the day of the start of the war in Afghanistan.

We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.

NOTE: CANTEEN MUSICPosted daily and on the Music Thread for the enjoyment of our troops and visitors.

7
posted on 08/06/2012 6:15:12 PM PDT
by Kathy in Alaska
(((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~)))

USS Constitution's 1812 Marine Guard fire vintage Springfield flintlock muskets during the ship's underway. "Old Ironsides" was underway for the "Constitution Day Cruise," which is conducted to thank the family and supporters of Constitution. U.S. Navy photo by Airman Nick Lyman (Released)

OUR TROOPS ROCK!!!!!!!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

This seems like a very good venue to ask this question and I hope that someone here will know the answer or point me in the right direction.

My father past away last year. He was a WWII Army veteran and wanted to be buried in the local National Cemetery. He was very quiet about the war and made few comments about his service. When his headstone was put in place, we were shocked to see that he was the recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. This wonderful, unassuming, gentle man was always my biggest hero but evidently, he was more than just his little girl's “John Wayne”.

My heart wants/needs to know more about my father's service. How can I find out more about his service? Who or where can I go or contact to find out about his service records?

Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!

Missing Man Setting

The Empty Chair

By Captain Carroll Lex Lefon, USN (ret), on December 21st, 2004

In the wardroom onboard the aircraft carrier from which I recently debarked was a small, round table, with single chair. No one ever sat there, and the reasons, both for the table being there, and for the fact that the chair was always empty, will tell the reader a little bit about who we are as a culture.The wardroom, of course, is where the officers will dine; morning, noon and evening. It is not only a place to eat  it is also a kind of oasis from the sometimes dreary, often difficult exigencies of the service. A place of social discourse, of momentary relief from the burdens of the day. The only things explicitly forbidden by inviolable tradition in the wardroom are the wearing of a cover or sword by an officer not actually on watch, or conversation which touches upon politics or religion. But aboard ships which observe the custom, another implicit taboo concerns the empty chair: No matter how crowded the room, no matter who is waiting to be seated, that chair is never moved, never taken.

The table is by the main entrance to the wardroom. You will see it when you enter, and you will see it when you leave. It draws your eyes because it is meant to. And because it draws your eyes it draws your thoughts. And though it will be there every day for as long as you are at sea, you will look at it every time and your eyes will momentarily grow distant as you think for a moment. As you quietly give thanks.

AS YOU REMEMBER.

The small, round table is covered with a white linen tablecloth. A single place setting rests there, of fine bone china. A wineglass stands upon the table, inverted, empty. On the dinner plate is a pinch of salt. On the bread plate is a slice of lemon. Besides the plate lies a bible. There is a small vase with a single red rose upon the table. Around the vase is wound a yellow ribbon. There is the empty chair.

We will remember because over the course of our careers, we will have had the opportunity to enjoy many a formal evening of dinner and dancing in the fine company of those with whom we have the honor to serve, and their lovely ladies. And as the night wears on, our faces will in time become flushed with pleasure of each others company, with the exertions on the dance floor, with the effects of our libations. But while the feast is still at its best, order will be called to the room  we will be asked to raise our glasses to the empty table, and we will be asked to remember:

The table is round to show our everlasting concern for those who are missing. The single setting reminds us that every one of them went to their fates alone, that every life was unique.

The tablecloth is white symbolizing the purity of their motives when they answered the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones who kept the faith.

The yellow ribbon around the vase symbolizes our continued determination to remember them.

The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitterness of their fate. The salt symbolizes the tears shed by those who loved them. The bible represents the faith that sustained them. The glass is inverted  they cannot share in the toast. The chair is empty  they are not here. They are missing.

And we will remember, and we will raise our glasses to those who went before us, and who gave all that they had for us. And a part of the flush in our faces will pale as we remember that nothing worth having ever came without a cost. We will remember that many of our brothers and sisters have paid that cost in blood. We will remember that the reckoning is not over.

We many of us will settle with our families into our holiday season, our Christmas season for those who celebrate it, content in our fortune and prosperity. We will meet old friends with smiles and laughter. We will meet our members of our family with hugs. We will eat well, and exchange gifts and raise our glasses to the year passed in gratitude, and to the year to come with hope. We will sleep the sleep of the protected, secure in our homes, secure in our homeland.

But for many families, there will be an empty chair at the table this year. A place that is not filled.

First, I was never in the service and hubby is asleep or I would ask him so this is only my opinion.

I would see if any family member has a copy of his military separation papers (what nowadays is a DD214) which would give you basic info. Then, I'd do a search on WW2 Vet sites and see what you can find out.

We thank your Dad for his service to this great country! Good luck in your search.

I'm sure some around here can give you better and more info. Good luck in your search!

Try here for starters. Scroll through for campaigns if you know where your Dad was during WWII or you might try looking into some of your own family records for an old letter or an address book from that time with an APO address in it. I'm sure the folks at your local VFW would be very helpful in this as well. SandRat knows lot more about Army stuff than I do and most likely has more sources for you to check.

One other place you might check in the county offices of your Dad’s home of record. Returning vets were required to submit separation documentation or a DD214 post release from service. It’s doubtful they’ll have in on hand but it will be archived. This might be quicker and give you something to follow up on with other searches, like his serial number and last unit.

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